Sleep Deprivation
by Wallflow3r1
Summary: Daryl is having trouble sleeping behind bars. He discovers that Beth isn't getting much sleep either. Beth has some suggestions for how Daryl might solve his problem.
1. Chapter 1

Daryl can't remember the last time that he slept. There's a dull ache behind his eyes that tells him that it was a long fucking time ago. Now that they've got the protection of four walls and roof, not to mention several locked gates, he should be able to sleep. He should be able to relax a bit. He should be able to get a decent rest. Except that all those _shoulds_ don't mean shit apparently because each time Daryl's head hits the pillow his brain starts to think so much he can almost hear it whirring. His brain won't shut the fuck up.

He thinks about all the stupid shit he did before all this. He thinks about a myriad of ways in which he could have acted different and wonders if his life could have been different, or if he was just doomed from the womb. He rolls his regrets over and over until he's not sure what's real and what's imagined. He thinks about Merle. He thinks about Merle _a lot_. It's not all bad, either, though none of it is good. His mind flits from useless thought to useless thought until the sun starts to creep through the barred prison windows signalling another day has begun.

He spends the day killing walkers on the fence until his arms are aching. As he feels his muscles throb and burn he hopes vaguely that he will just pass out from exhaustion. He waits until the sun has sunken below the horizon then he sits in the yard smoking and making bolts until dusk. He doesn't like to go inside the prison until night fall. Then again, he doesn't like going in there ever. But it's winter and it's fucking freezing out.

He managed to keep himself out of prison in spite of Merle's destructive orbit doing its best to drag him there, and yet he's ended up behind bars anyway. Fucking irony.

He knows that this is where they have to be. That it's a _good place_ , as far as shelter goes. He knows that. But that doesn't stop his skin from crawling every time he steps inside the prison and the doors close behind him. It doesn't stop him from pacing restlessly, the deeper into the prison he goes, the further he gets from those closed doors. It doesn't stop his eyes from darting to the nearest exit as often as breathing. He just can't get comfortable in his own skin when he's inside those walls, because as safe as they are, they feel as though they're closing in.

Daryl always thought he had nothing growing up but since they got here he's come to realise that's not true; he had fresh air and he had the stars. Now he's here and those things have been stripped from him, he's got to leave those things at the door and it's only then that he realise how much those things mean to him. How much those things are a part of him. Without them he's in a constant state of unrest.

When he eventually makes his way into the cell block he finds it dark and quiet. Everyone has gone to bed. Well, almost everyone, he thinks as he notices the amber glow of a candle coming from one of the cells on his row.

His legs feel as though they're made of lead as he drags his feet up the iron staircase towards his bunk. He moves slowly as though moving through quicksand. He's in no hurry to get to his cell; he's already dreading the moment his head hits the pillow and sleep begins to taunt him again.

Once he has climbed the stairs he sees that the gentle glow of candlelight is coming from Beth's cell. His gait slows to a stop as he reaches her curtain, which is left half open and shows her sat on her bunk with Judith in her arms. She lifts her eyes to his and he sees his own exhaustion mirrored back at him. Turns out he's not the only one running on no sleep. Despite how tired she clearly is she flashes him a warm smile. He finds himself gravitating towards it and the threshold of her cell.

"Lil asskicker not sleepin'?" He asks, voice low and rough, leaning on the door jamb.

"Oh, _she_ sleeps just fine," Beth says with a sigh, her eyes dropping down to the baby sleeping peacefully in her arms. "When I'm holdin' her. Soon as I put her down she wakes up and starts cryin'."

His eyebrows raise without him meaning them to. Beth narrows her eyes at him.

"Don't believe me?"

He rolls a shoulder. _I mean, it seems unlikely._

Beth stands up, walks over to the crib and lowers the baby down onto the mattress. There's a beat. Two. Then the baby's mouth pops open and she starts to cry. Beth lifts her barely one centimetre above the mattress. She stops. Snuffles. Beth lowers her down again. One. Two. An ascending whinge erupts from the baby's mouth. Beth lifts her off the mattress, but just barely. Silence. Beth swings her tired eyes back to his and arches a brow at him.

"Shit," Daryl curses in disbelief.

"Yeah. Shit," Beth's mouth twists as she cradles Judith in her arms and walks back to her bunk, sitting down slowly with a heavy sigh. She looks as exhausted as he feels. Her usual sunny disposition appears muted, as though he's looking at her through clouds.

Daryl brow furrows as he starts to roll the situation over in his mind. "So let her cry."

Beth looks back at him, bemused.

"Uh ok. I'll let her wake up the whole cell block shall I?" She quips, fixing him with those big doe eyes. Even under the sheen of exhaustion they're still striking.

Girl's got a point and she ain't afraid to make it.

"So let Rick deal with her," he shrugs. Lil Asskicker is his kid. Why should Rick be sound asleep while Beth suffers?

She's quiet for a moment, stroking the baby's crown gently, then she meets Daryl's eyes again.

"Rick's got a lot goin' on," she says softly.

Daryl just stares at her as it takes a little longer than usual for her words to sink in. When they do his brow furrows deeper. That's not her problem. But he has a feeling Beth Greene is the kind of person who sees other people's problems and makes them her own.

"So let Carl deal with her."

She tilts her head and gives him a look. It's not hard exactly but there's a seriousness in her eyes that wasn't there before like he's overlooking something he shouldn't.

"He's been through enough, dontcha think?"

Girl's got another goddamn point. He can't argue with that so he just grunts and gives a small nod. She meets his gaze for a moment and then turns her attention back to the sleeping baby. The way she looks at Lil Asskicker makes Daryl think that "babysitting" is a heinous understatement for what Beth is doing for Rick's daughter, in a role that she didn't choose but has taken on without complaint. He waits, watching her, until she yawns. Then he's yawning and he feels his eyes begin to droop with another layer of exhaustion.

He pushes himself off the door jamb. "G'night," he grunts.

Beth looks up at him and smiles. "Goodnight, Daryl."

Daryl drags himself into his own cell, which is next to Beth's, collapses on his cot and stares blankly at the bunk above him. His mind drifts to Beth Greene and her unfathomable kindness. He's never met someone who was so kind and all the while acts like it's the _obvious_ thing to do. Like it's not a special thing at all. He's never met anyone who would do so much for another person without getting at least something in return. He wonders about whether being kind is something you are or something you do. He feels sure that if he looked up kind in the dictionary he'd find a picture of Beth Greene smiling back at him.

He continues to stare at the bunk above him and tries to will himself to sleep.

That goes about as well as it usually does.

* * *

Daryl thinks that the exhaustion he feels has somehow seeped deeper, if that's even possible. Yesterday it was in his bones but tonight it is in his marrow. He spends the day feeling as though he is wading through a thick fog.

As he enters the cell block after dusk he sees that Beth is still up, if the flickering amber glow coming from her cell is anything to go by. He quickens his pace on the stairs, summoning energy from some deep reserve, dragging his lead feet one in front of the other through the unrelenting fog.

When he reaches Beth's cell he sees her sitting in the exact same spot as the night before and wonders for a moment if any time has actually passed. He slumps against the door jamb, face set in a frown because now he's convinced time is fucking with him.

Beth looks up, her eyes flare just a touch and then she smiles.

"You look like crap" she says, her smile widening. There's mischief in the curl of her lips that's teasing.

"Look who's talkin''" Daryl smirks back at her as she drags a hand through her hair which is looking uncharacteristically wild and unwashed. He thinks she kind of suits looking a bit wild, and he's not sure she could ever actually look dirty even if she tried. She smiles even wider as he matches her teasing, and then looks thoughtful.

"Have you tried... _y'know_ ," She dips her head at him, arching a brow and gives him a pointed look.

Daryl blinks at her. He does not know.

"What?"

She gives him another rather pointed look that only makes his face twist in confusion. Beth lets out a little exasperated huff which would annoy him if it wasn't so adorable.

"Gettin' yourself off," she says quietly.

Daryl frowns even deeper. "Gettin' myself off what?"

For a moment Beth just stares at him and he stares right back. Beth's face is frozen, except for her eyes which are growing wider by the second.

"Jerkin' off," She whispers, then shakes her head with a grin.

His breath catches. He drops his gaze and his head and he feels heat rushing into his face. He cannot believe the words that just came out of Beth Greene's mouth.

" _Girl,_ you really are tired"

Beth rolls a shoulder, she shoots him a look, bemused. "That's what I used to do when I had trouble sleepin' back on the farm"

All Daryl can do is gape at her. He doesn't blink, he doesn't breathe. He doesn't think he _can_ breathe.

A long moment stretches between them.

Beth tilts her head at him and narrows her eyes. "Did I break you?" She asks, a small smile toying on her lips.

Daryl snorts, a gush of air rushing out of him.

"Yeah," He finds a breath and puts a word behind it. "Think ya did a li'le," he admits. His mouth twists. Sort of a smile. Beth smiles wider, clearly amused.

Daryl huffs a shaky laugh and then pushes himself away from the door jamb. "G'night"

Her eyes are practically glowing as she smiles back at him. "Goodnight, Daryl"

Daryl's feet drag him to his neighbouring cell, pulls the privacy curtain closed behind him and he sinks onto his cot. He studies the bunk above him, all the while thinking about Beth Greene's _favourite insomnia cure_. He wonders how many times she's done that on the other side of the wall while he's been lying here wide awake. Without noticing, his hand has drifted down to palm his cock though his jeans.

He thinks about her slender fingers sliding into her panties as she touches herself and as he does so he opens the front of his jeans and his own rough digits slide into his underwear. He shouldn't, he's vaguely aware that it's wrong, but his hand moves without conscious thought and he doesn't stop it. He thinks about Beth rubbing her clit with a quickening pace and his hand circles his hard cock and starts to pump slowly. He tries not to think about how she's on the other side of the wall _right now_ as his other hand flattens against the cool concrete that separates them. Knowing she's there sends a wave of arousal shuddering through him and his eyes flutter closed. He imagines Beth moaning into her pillow so that nobody hears her and he bites down on his bottom lip to suppress a groan as his hand on his cock beats a frantic rhythm. His hips roll, fucking into his hand as hot spurts of cum shoot across his stomach while he thinks about Beth arching her back off her prison cot as she brings herself to orgasm.

Drawing in ragged breaths, Daryl tucks his spent cock back into his jeans as his eyes fall closed and he dozes off.

* * *

In the morning Daryl is feeling remarkably more human. He didn't sleep well but he did sleep some and the throbbing behind his eyes is now more of a dull ache.

When he steps into the cell block at dusk he ignores the flutter he feels in his chest when he sees Beth's light guiding him up the stairs. He feels the pull of it as he stands in her door way, noticing the curtain has been left open and his brain files that away as a slightly odd thing to do.

Beth is lying on her front across the bed, head down as she writes in a spiral bound notebook. His eyes swing to Judith's cot and see the baby sleeping sprawled on her back, arms up around her head. For a moment he watches the gentle rise and fall of her chest. He's about to comment when Beth looks up at him and a smile works its way across her face, stealing the breath right out of him. She looks pleased to see him and he finds himself returning her smile with a small smile of his own.

"You sleep?" She asks, but it's more of a statement as her keen eyes scan him.

He rolls a shoulder, eyes flicking downward and away.

"You jerk off?" She teases.

He doesn't trust himself to look at her. So he doesn't.

"You did!" She exclaims in something like mock indignation but underneath that she sounds pleased. Then she grins so wide he doesn't think he's ever seen to many teeth.

He meets her eyes finally, keeping his as neutral as possible. She's smiling back at him but she's not laughing. She's teasing, very gently, but she's not mocking him. She seems alarmingly pleased at the idea of him jerking off. It's kind of weird. She's a weird girl. It makes his stomach lurch guiltily as in the back of his mind he remembers the fantasies that pulled him over the edge last night.

"Stop" he grunts, but he finds himself suppressing a smile. He thinks he should feel uncomfortable, deserves to even, but finds that he doesn't, somehow. He doesn't feel uncomfortable at all standing here.

Beth gives him a wicked smile that sends a new wave of heat rolling down his spine. He clears his throat, pulling his eyes away from hers. They land on the baby and find that she's still asleep.

"You sleep?" He nods to Judith's crib. More of a statement than a question.

Beth's eyes swing over to the sleeping baby and she smiles softly. "Yeah"

"How'd you get lil asskicker to stay in her crib?" He asks.

"I put one of my shirts in there."

Daryl's eyes trail back to the crib and find the familiar blue denim of the shirt she was wearing yesterday creased underneath Judith's chubby cheek.

"That work?"

"Seems to"

"Guess you must smell good," he murmurs. His eyes absently follow the line of her throat down to her collarbone and fall on the inviting swell of her breasts. He finds himself imagining what it would feel like to bury his face there and take a deep inhale of her scent and commit it to sense memory.

"No need to look so surprised," she says, dragging his thoughts and his eyes back to her face. The look she's giving him is difficult to read, but if she saw him looking she doesn't seem bothered by it.

"I'm not," he says, voice coming out a little huskier than he'd like. Beth is watching him, studying him might be a better word, and she looks pleased as she kicks her legs lazily back and forth above her in a way that should be childish but isn't. As she pins him with her gaze he starts to feel that heat in his spine again as it pulses and simmers.

He turns to go, dips his head at her. "G'night."

Beth smiles. "Goodnight, Daryl"

Daryl walks the remaining distance to his cell, throws himself on his cot and studies the ceiling while thinking about what Beth Greene might smell like.

He'd like to get close enough to find out. He thinks he'd sleep pretty well wrapped up in Beth Greene.

He thinks about how lil asskicker thinks that Beth is her mom. She pretty much is her mom. He deliberately doesn't think about how Beth being the mom of Rick's daughter makes him feel suddenly jealous of Rick in a way that he doesn't fully understand.

He's actually jealous of lil asskicker for getting to sleep wrapped up in Beth Greene's scent. He vaguely considers going into Beth's cell while she's on lunch duty so that he can take her shirt out of Judith's crib and put it in his own bed.

He drags a hand over his face and sighs heavily.

He realises that he's reached a new depth of sleep deprivation as he lies there contemplating stealing from a baby.

His head is full of thoughts, raging and floating, crashing into one another, and he doesn't sleep.

* * *

Dawn comes too soon, but dusk doesn't come soon enough. Daryl drags himself through the day. He feels the ache move back in behind his eyes and every muscle in his body protests louder with every passing minute.

Same as every night he waits until the sun has set to make his way into the cell block and same as every night he finds that everyone is asleep. Almost everyone. He feels a little shot of adrenaline spur him up the stairs and towards his cell as he sees the familiar flicker of Beth's candle glow.

It's lower, he notices, as he comes to her door frame and he makes a mental note to pick her up some candles on the next run. Making a mental note of anything seems laughable right now but for some reason he knows he won't forget. Might forget his own damn name soon but he won't forget that.

Her curtain is half way open again and it makes him curious. Part of him wonders, perhaps hopes, that she leaves it open as an invitation for him to come and talk to her. That she looks forward to this time of day as much as he's starting to. Which is fucking ridiculous, he knows. Still.

Beth looks up at him from where she's sat cross legged on the bottom bunk, book on her lap. She actually cringes when she sets eyes on him.

"You're startin' to look like a walker, Daryl," She says, wrinkling her nose a little.

He shoulders the door jamb, not entirely trusting his legs to keep him up unsupported for much longer.

Daryl's eyes narrow as he glares at her, but there's no heat in it. "Fuck you"

Beth laughs. Not a huffed breath like he's heard her make before but a real laugh that makes her shoulders shake and her eyes shine.

"Could try that," She says, closing her book and blinking up at him with those bright but not so innocent eyes.

He feels like he's missing something as he looks back at her. "What?"

"Havin' sex. Helps you sleep."

Daryl snorts.

"Like you'd know," he says incredulously.

Beth raises her eyebrows a little but otherwise just continues to look at him like he's an idiot. He can feel his eyes growing impossibly wide in his face. He's also faintly aware that he's stopped breathing.

Beth rolls her eyes at him. "I'm _eighteen,_ Daryl. I've had boyfriends."

Daryl shrugs at her.

"Thought you were a good girl" he says, teasing, mouth twisting into an almost smile, ducking his head and looking up at her through his hair. He feels like he needs to hide from this minx.

"Been thinkin' about me a lot?" She smiles.

If Daryl didn't know better he'd say she was flirting with him.

"Didn't know you were so naughty," he says, eyes locking with hers. If Daryl didn't know any better he'd say _he_ was flirting with her.

Beth's smile widens into a grin. She rolls her head back as though she's exasperated and bites her lip.

"Wouldn't you like to know,"

Daryl's gaze narrows as he holds hers. That was definitely flirting.

" _Girl,_ I'd like to find out" he rumbles, voice so rough he should be embarrassed. Fuck.

Beth laughs again and looks down at the book in her lap. "Stop"

But she doesn't really want him to, he doesn't think. He watches her for a moment as she smiles at the book in her lap, cheeks maybe just a little pinker than before. Maybe. He sighs and pushes himself off the door frame. This conversation isn't going to help him to sleep, its waking him up.

"G'night," He murmurs.

Her eyes fly back up to his. "Goodnight, Daryl." She says softly. She sounds almost disappointed as she watches him leave.

Daryl goes to his cell, lies down on his cot and studies the ceiling all the while thinking about Beth Greene _havin' sex._

Knowing that she's had sex, that she _enjoys_ sex, makes him feel a little less guilty for thinking about her like that. Thinking about her like that makes his cock hard and soon it's straining against his jeans. But he doesn't take care of it. He feels the simmering heat and he lets it burn.

* * *

The next night it's Daryl's shift in the watchtower. After a day on the fence and a night in the tower he's dead on his feet. This has become his default state. He's starting to forget what not being exhausted feels like. When he gets back to the cell block it's dark except for a sliver of moonlight that's crept in.

Beth's curtain is drawn when he passes her cell. He feels a twinge of disappointment in his gut. He didn't realise until now but he'd been looking forward to their little night time chat all day. He misses it more than he thinks he should.

As he walks to his cell he wonders if she fell asleep or if she had to use her sleep aid of choice to get her there. He feels heat grab the base of his spine as he thinks about Beth Greene touching herself. Now that he's got that image in his head he's definitely not going to be able to stop thinking about it. He doesn't think he really wants to.

When Daryl ducks his own privacy curtain and goes into his cell he freezes. He sees it straight away.

Beth's shirt is on his pillow.

Not the one from Judith's crib; it's the one he saw her wearing earlier today. The pink one with no sleeves. He crosses the cell and sits down on his cot. He brings the shirt to his face, closes his eyes and breathes in deeply.

He is flooded with the scent of Beth Greene. She smells zesty, a punch of citrus maybe from her body wash or shampoo and also clean, like sleeping in a freshly made bed.

She smells new in a world where everything is old. In a world where everything is dead, dying and decaying she smells of _life_.

He lies down on his cot, still holding her shirt to his face. He closes his eyes and for a moment he's not there. He's gone. He's somewhere better. He thinks he's gonna sleep just fine tonight wrapped in Beth Greene.

And with his face buried in Beth's shirt, Daryl finally sleeps.


	2. Chapter 2

It's not even dusk yet when Daryl enters the cell block. He tells himself the reason is because it's getting colder, that's why he's started coming inside earlier. The reason is decidedly not the very strong gravitational pull of a certain teenage babysitter. He tells himself that what he feels in his chest is no a swell of excitement when he sees the lone candle glow in the cell next to his. He tells himself he definitely isn't quickening his step as he crosses the cell block and makes his way up the staircase.

Daryl Dixon has always been a terrible liar.

For a week now he's been sleeping wrapped up in Beth Greene's scent. Each night he buries his face in her shirt, the one that she left on his pillow and inhales obscenely, before drifting out of consciousness. He doesn't just sleep, he _dreams_. He actually dreams for the first time since he doesn't know when. Not bad dreams about his daddy either, which is the only thing he ever remembers dreaming about before anyway. That was until he learnt to kill them with cheap booze and exhaustion. These dreams aren't like that.

He doesn't actually remember what he dreams about. Trying to remember is like trying to hold sand in his palm; it just slips away. He only remembers flashes and feelings: blonde hair and fields of tall grass; the glow of candles and the sound of a piano. But whatever he's dreaming about he wakes feeling damn near peaceful.

They haven't talked about it. She left her shirt on his pillow and since then neither of them has even mentioned it, but each night she waits up and he stops at her cell and they talk. Each night he comes in a little earlier and their conversation grows a little longer.

Their conversations are no longer limited to their combined lack of sleep either. Although some nights Lil Asskicker does still keeps Beth up. She never complains about it. He doesn't think he's ever heard her complain about _anything_. Or ask for anything. When he asks her if she needs anything on a run but she always replies the same damn thing _'No, I'm good. Thank you'_. That doesn't sit quite right with him.

He's been trying to think of what she might need. Clothes? Toiletries maybe? But she'd ask for those. She'd ask Maggie because Maggie would know what to get. So then he starts to think about what she might _want_. He doesn't know. He doesn't know her well enough for that. He'd like to though. He'd like to know everything there is to know about her, if he's being honest. Which he decidedly is not.

When he reaches her cell he leans his crossbow against the wall that separates her cell from his. They sleep less than a foot away from each other, separated only by this thin wall. That thought makes him ache, and that ache spreads in his chest all the way down to his cock. _Christ._ The thought of her lying on the other side of that wall sleeping, or worse, _not sleeping_ \- does things to him that he's struggling to control. He adjusts the front of his jeans, grinding his teeth as hard denim brushes over the sensitive head of his straining cock.

In her cell, Beth sits cross legged on the bed, leaning back against their adjoining wall with her face buried in a book.

His tread has always been near silent, and for a moment she doesn't notice him. She just turns the page, bottom lip caught in her teeth as her bright blue eyes eagerly scan the text in front of her.

She looks cosy, wrapped in a big knit cardigan, still in her jeans despite how late it is. For a moment he just stares and he knows he shouldn't - it's verging on creepy - but he's just _awed_. Not because she's beautiful, which she is, she's so beautiful with her golden hair hanging loose down past her shoulders, covering the peaks of her breasts like a mermaid. He's awed because she makes this place, this literal _prison_ , feel like a home. Up here, one foot away, just occupying the same space as her, he feels more at home than he has ever felt in his whole life.

The walls are starting to feel less claustrophobic every day and that has everything to do with what's inside them.

She looks up and catches him. For a moment he's embarrassed, feels his cheeks grow hot under the dirt. Then she smiles, she _beams_ up at him and his breath catches in his throat.

"I think I've figured out what you were before," she says excitedly, dropping the book down on the bed and turning to face him.

He doesn't bother to hide the smirk tugging at one side of his mouth.

"Go on then," he rumbles, leaning against the door jamb, crossing his arms over his chest.

Her face is serious but there's mischief in her eyes.

"A stripper," she deadpans.

Daryl chokes. All the air leaves him in a gush and he's struggling to replace it because his airway seems to have closed. His throat makes a strangled sound as he reels in front of her.

She just continues to stare, expectantly, waiting for him to answer as though she just asked him a completely ordinary question.

He manages to suck in a shaky inhalation and shakes his head back and forth a little too fast.

"Uh uh. Don' think anyone'd pay t' see that mess," He says roughly, looking down and away.

"I would."

His eyes snap up to hers. She's got a bright warm smile on her face that stretches all the way to her eyes.

He just stares at her for a second time because all he can think is _Girl you wouldn't need to pay._ But he can't say that. Nothing that comes to mind should come out of his mouth because _she's joking_ and he wouldn't be and that is where things get awkward. She flirts with him; he knows she does, but he also knows it's just for fun. They both know it's a game, and games have rules.

He snorts softly and looks away again. Without her hypnotic blue eyes distracting him he regains enough mental capacity to change the subject away from his naked body.

"What about you?" He asks, directing his question to the floor.

"Huh?"

He glances up at her through his hair.

"What did you wanna be?"

Her smile widens.

"I hadn't decided yet. I guess it didn't really matter after all," she shrugs, her smile losing its warmth as she looks down at the book in her lap.

"What were you thinkin' of?"

Beth looks up from the book with a quizzical expression on her face.

"You really wanna know?" She asks, and he doesn't miss the disbelief in her voice.

Does she think that he doesn't want to know or that the answer itself isn't worth knowing? He doesn't know which is worse. He does know that neither is remotely true.

"I really wanna know," He says, tilting his head back a little so that he meets her gaze.

She smiles again, and then sits up a little straighter.

"I was thinking about being a teacher. I used to teach Sunday school sometimes."

He nods. _Makes sense._

"You're good with kids."

"You think?"

"I know," He grunts, his eyes wandering over to Judith sleeping peacefully in her crib. Girl has a magic touch when it comes to that baby and she isn't even hers. She's got Carl eating out of her hand as well. Although he suspects the kid's motives aren't entirely innocent as he's becoming less of a kid by the day.

"Thanks," She grins, her eyes following his to the sleeping baby.

"Or I was thinking about maybe training to be a nurse. I used to like helping daddy with the animals, and playing with the medical supplies," she says thoughtfully.

"You'd make one hell of a nurse," he says before he can stop himself. The visual alone is something he's never going to get out of his head. Even if he wanted to. Which he in no way does.

"Is that right?" She quirks a brow at him.

"I'd like to have you as my nurse," he says, voice coming out so low he should be embarrassed, his eyes raking over her body as his tongue darts out to wet his lips.

Beth grins and rolls her eyes at him.

"Well, let's hope you don't need a nurse, circumstances what they are," she says as primly as she can but there's a wicked smile tugging at her lips. There's a knowing look in her eyes that is so much older than her years, a quickness that he wants to play with.

"But if I do?" He asks, catching her eyes.

She gives in, wicked smile beaming back at him.

" _If_ you do, I'll be at your bedside mopping your brow," She says, her voice is innocent but her eyes are anything but.

"Giving me a sponge bath?" He says thickly, surprising them both.

Beth bites her lip as she holds his gaze, eyes narrowing, searching, stretching the moment out. Her gaze is sharp, almost challenging.

Then she huffs a laugh. "I'd do that now, Daryl, you smell terrible."

He snorts and looks away.

He can hear her flipping the pages in her book. For a moment neither of them says anything. Daryl is used to silences; he's used to them quickly growing uncomfortable as people expect them to be filled. But he's not used to this. They've fallen into a comfortable lull. He can talk or remain quiet, there's no pressure for him to do either. He doesn't feel as though she expects him to do anything at all. He can just be.

After a few more moments Beth speaks, her voice pulling him from where his mind had drifted into nothing much at all.

"If I could have been anything though my dream was to be a singer," she says quietly, hushed as though divulging a great secret, not looking up from the book she's turning in her hands, "Which is _ridiculous_ I know but I just love singin'," she adds, pressing her lips into a line, fingers tightening around the book like she's pushing something down and away.

 _Her dream._ She's pushing down her dream because it won't ever come true, he realises.

"You've got a pretty voice," he says softly.

She looks up from the book and blinks at him slowly. Her eyes are wide and her lips are slightly open as though he's said something to startle her. His stomach somersaults under her gaze and he swallows, trying to push down whatever strange feeling is threatening to explode from his chest.

Finally, she tilts her head back and smiles, narrowing her eyes at him.

"I thought my singin' annoyed you?"

"You think you know me girl?" He grunts, knowing she won't miss the teasing in his voice as he jerks his chin at her.

There's a beat and then Beth bursts out laughing, discarding the book and bringing her hands up to drag across her face and through her hair.

Daryl glares at her.

"The fuck's so funny?"

Beth takes a deep breath as a few more laughs shake their way out of her chest and she wipes her shining eyes.

"I was just rememberin' somethin', it's a bit random," She shakes her head dismissively.

He continues to glare at her, his scowl deepening with every passing second.

Beth sighs, "It's just that the biblical term for sexual love is "know""

He doesn't miss the way that her cheeks turn a little pink at that or the way the mood changes and suddenly there's tension in the room there wasn't before. That _was_ random. What the hell made her think that?

"I didn't know there was smut in the bible but trust a naughty girl like you to find it," he mutters, pinning her with eyes narrowed to icy slits.

Beth 's mouth falls open in feigned outrage, before she tilts her head back and starts laughing again. The giggles come thick and fast, shaking her tiny frame like an earth quake. Daryl feels a small smile breaking his frosty facade as he watches more laughter bubble up and spill from her lips. The sound is like distilled joy. If there's one thing Daryl wants it's to make her laugh like that as often as he possibly can.

"Stop," Beth pleads weakly, wiping tears from her eyes and attempting to get herself under control.

He swallows, forcing down another ache in his chest at Beth's barely caged joy that he is somehow responsible for.

"I'm goin' on a run tomorrow, you need anything?" He asks.

She smiles and shakes her head.

"No, I'm fine. Thank you."

He barely contains a growl at her automated response.

"You _want_ anything?" He presses, bringing his thumb up to worry the nail between his teeth. There must be something this girl wants that he can give to her. There must be _something_. All of a sudden he feels compelled to please her somehow.

He's looking at her, waiting for her to answer him and she's looking right back at him. She's staring at him so intensely as though there is something obvious that he's missing. She holds his gaze, her eyes boring into his, and there's that _quickness_ , that spark dancing back at him so intently he thinks she might be trying to communicate by telepathy.

"Girl?" He prompts.

 _What do you want? Just tell me_. He wants to shout.

Beth blinks slowly, and then sighs heavily.

"I'm fine, thank you." She smiles, but this time it's small and laced with disappointment. She suddenly seems deflated and he feels like he's the cause but he has no idea what he's done. No fucking idea.

He shifts his weight from foot to foot uncomfortably for one awkward moment as the silence stretches between them. An awkward silence. He's familiar with those.

"Ok. G'night then," He grunts, ducking his head.

"Good night, Daryl," she smiles, this one reaches her eyes and its warm. "Sleep well."

He pushes himself off the door jamb, grabs his cross bow and ducks into his own cell. Tossing his bow unceremoniously on the floorLeaning his bow against the door with a heavy clunk, he falls backwards onto the bed.

 _What the fuck was that?_ He thinks, running his hand across the concrete, thinking about the girl on the other side of the wall, knowing she's barely a foot away.

He reaches under his pillow and pulls out her shirt. Pressing it to his face he drags in a long, shaky inhalation. He feels calm pour through his mind as the smell of her floods his senses. For a moment everything goes still. Everything disappears. He's somewhere else. He's not in the prison. He's somewhere better.

He takes another painfully slow inhalation. Her scent is there, but only just. The shirt is losing her scent. Soon it won't smell like her at all. What then?

...

The run involves a few too many close calls and leaves Daryl feeling rattled. Although on the outside he knows he appears to take each ugly situation in his stride, the reality is whenever a hairy situation nearly takes a family member he feels the weight of it on his chest. He imagines what he'd have to say when he got back to the prison. How upset the rest of the family would be. How they'd look at him wondering why it was _them_ and not _him_. He'd be thinking the same damn thing.

He spends the rest of the daylight killing walkers on the fence and thinking about ways to make runs safer. You're safe until you're not. They can do everything they can and still end up as walker food- he knows that. He just wants them to do everything they can. He just doesn't want to lose any more people.

In the back of his mind he's looking forward to getting up to his cell and the chance to talk to Beth. He won't tell her about what happened on the run; he doesn't want to worry her, but just talking to her makes him feel hopeful. Hearing about what Judith has been doing reminds him that they have a home here. That everything ok, _relatively_.

When he enters the cell block it's dark except for a cast of starlight trickling in through the barred windows.

Disappointment washes over him. His feet feel significantly heavier as he drags them across the cell block.

Maybe Beth's candle is just so low he can't see if from down here. He picked her up some candles on the run. He chose ones that are supposed to smell like honey because he remembered her saying that she misses collecting honey on the farm. Banged on about how sweet it smells fresh from the hive. No candle is gonna smell like a bee hive, he knows that, but maybe it will make her smile or something. Maybe he can give her that.

When Daryl reaches the top of the stairs he feels another wave of disappointment crash over him. As he gets closer to Beth's cell he can see that the curtain is drawn and it is completely dark inside. His heart sinks as he passes her door frame and keeps walking.

Then as Daryl ducks the curtain and slides into his cell he almost has a heart attack.

He's frozen to the spot while his eyes are instantly drawn to the blonde mane pooling across his pillow. On his bed - no, _in his bed_ \- Beth is fast asleep, curled on her side, wearing the shirt he keeps under his pillow. Wearing the shirt and little else judging by the long, slender legs spread across his bed.

She's curled around the book she was reading last night, as though she was reading it and fell asleep. He feels a shuddering ache in his chest that is almost too much to bear. She's wearing the shirt almost like she read his mind and knew it stopped smelling of her. He sure as hell hopes she can't read his mind because the sight of her lying _in his bed_ , with her shirt barely covering her rounded ass has his mind sinking to depths a choir girl shouldn't follow.

He's already half way hard as he sets his crossbow down silently against the wall and crosses the room. He lowers himself onto the cot with the care one might take when disabling an explosive and curls himself around her back.

He buries his face in the back of her head and breathes in a deep lungful of her hair. Of _her_. She smells _phenomenal._ She smells so much better than the shirt.

As her heady sweet scent overpowers every one of his senses and saps away his consciousness he thinks fleetingly that this might be heaven, being curled around Beth, and falling asleep without the wall between them.


	3. Chapter 3

Daryl is softly jarred into consciousness by a tickling sensation across his upper lip with every steady inhale. When he opens his eyes he closes them again in an effort to clear them but it's no good: his vision is too fuzzy, out of focus and vaguely golden. He tilts his head back and the golden tinted haze slowly comes into focus, turning into blonde waves.

 _Beth_.

There's a moment between registering that the blonde waves in front of him belong to Beth and remembering that she is in fact lying in his bed. With him. His heart stops beating as realisation sinks in. He'd fallen asleep curled around her, nearly touching her, his chest a breath away from her back. He's drenched in her scent, each breath sending a warm rush to his chest. It slowly dawns on him that his bed will smell like her and that sends another heated rush to somewhere else entirely.

He jerks his hips back, swallowing nervously.

His eyes drift slowly down her body. She's wrapped in the shirt he's been sleeping with for a week, just barely covering her rounded ass above slim, golden legs that go on for days. He's never seen her legs before, always hidden under denim. They're long, made for running. His breath becomes a little laboured as his eyes rake over her bare legs, taking in every inch of smooth skin.

It doesn't feel real, here in the bubble of her scent, it feels like one of his dreams and the illusion makes him forget himself as his hand reaches out to glide down her thigh. The smoothness of her skin dances under the pads of his fingers for one glorious moment and then the dream stops and he wakes up.

Her hand comes down to cover his and his eyes fly up to where she's turned to gaze down the bed at him with heavy sleep filled eyes. He freezes, drowning in panic as his hand stills where it was mid-stroke on her thigh.

"Shit, Beth. 'M sorry, I shouldn't have," he whispers, looking back at her guiltily.

She's still in a daze as her mouth quirks into a smile.

"I'm not," she says, her hand leaving his and coming to rest on his cheek.

He can feel his heart jackhammering in his chest, threatening to smash right out of his rib cage as she runs her thumb across his bottom lip with agonising slowness. Her eyes bore into his, the daze gone and replaced with a burning intensity. He recognises the quickness that dances behind her eyes but now he sees there's a heat simmering beneath it. Her eyes are practically glowing, the tension palpable in the air between them as she exhales and he inhales her breath into his lungs greedily.

 _Is there anything you want?  
_  
"Oh," he says, staring back at her.

She closes the space between them and covers his lips with the hot wet heat of her mouth. His stomach flutters up into his throat and he moans as her tongue slips between his lips. She kisses him: slowly at first, and then she kisses the breath out of him.

His hand is large and dark on her leg, cupping the back of her thigh as she rolls over to face him, his rough palm gliding up her smooth skin and resting just under her ass. With the breath kissed out of him, Daryl gasps against her mouth, and as if her smell wasn't enough, her taste has him halfway to undone.

Trembling, Daryl rolls onto his back, his hand tightly clasped on her leg and dragging her with him so that she's draped across his chest. Hot rivulets of pleasure spread throughout Daryl's body and pool at the base of his spine, spiking as Beth's legs part to straddle his hips.

" _Fuck_ ," Daryl hisses as Beth's pelvis rocks forward causing his hips to jerk upwards and press his throbbing cock flush against her soft mound through their clothes.

Arousal cracks through his body like a whip and it takes a deep shuddering breath and every ounce of self control that he possesses not to cum in his boxers right there and then like a boy.

Her palm rests against his chest, arching her body into his and he lets himself thread his thick fingers into her hair, cupping the back of her head as she kisses him again.

Beth's lips meet his with a playful fevered tenacity that makes his blood feel like it's pumping too fast around his body, biting and sucking his lower lip before licking her wicked tongue into his gasping mouth. His mind drifts to thoughts of what her wicked tongue would feel like on other parts of his body.

Her hips rock back and forth, creating relentless friction until his cock is twitching and every nerve ending in his body is burning with raw need.

When they next part for air he buries his face in her throat, softly kissing his way down her delicate swan like neck. He laps the salt from her skin, hot under his tongue with the desire radiating between them.

As he gently sucks the soft skin over her pulse point she moans low and breathy against his ear. His hand on her leg slides up to her ass, crushing her against him and as he ruts into the apex of her thighs with a strained growl. She threads a hand through his hair, finger nails dragging across his scalp and sending a wave of arousal rippling down his spine.

"Girl, I ain't got a rubber," he rumbles, his words vibrating against her throat and the lurid pumping of her pulse.

His face reddens when he realises what he just said and his stomach rolls over. _Why the fuck did I just say that?_

"Gonna have to be just kissin' then," she whispers, her hand in his hair tightening. He pushes back into her clenched fist, tilting his head back and catching her gaze with his.

Her eyes are as wild and heated as he feels, pupils yawning with lust as she blinks up at him slowly. Her little wicked tongue darts out to run across her plump bitten-pink lips and another heavy breath bowls out of him.

" _Christ_ ," he breathes, bringing his hand down to cup her face, his large palm reaching from temple to chin. He gently strokes her delicate cheek bone with the rough pad of his thumb as he takes a moment to just look at her.

"If this is _just kissin'_ girl I don't think I can handle you," he rumbles.

Beth leans into his palm, her lips curling into a wicked smile, eyes shining brightly back at him with delight. 

"I'll be gentle with you," she says, closing the distance between them to press her lips against his, barely suppressing a grin, "promise."

She's anything but gentle. All he can do is moan into her mouth as she kisses him again. She kisses the life out of him as she continues to grind down on him hard and fast until he can feel the heat pooling at the base of his spine begin to tighten.

"Beth, _shit_ , I'm gonna-" he gasps but she silences him with another kiss, and when he pushes his tongue into her mouth her lips close around the muscle and _suck_.

Both hands find her hips as he takes over with his own clumsy rhythm, thrusting up into her soft heat. He nearly passes out when he feels his aching dick rub along her slit through layers of denim and cotton. He moans into her mouth as they dry hump through their clothes like a couple of horny teenagers. She steals his moans and the air from his lungs as she rides him, canting her hips to meet each thrust.

She arches her back suddenly, gripping his shoulders tightly as she moans up at the ceiling. He feels her peaked nipples graze his chest through her shirt and his, pebbled with arousal that's flushed across her throat. He feels her shudder against his cock despite their clothes between them and that's what sends him over the edge.

"Fuuuuuck," he groans as he buries his face in the hollow of her throat.

His hands hastily try to lift her off of him as he feels his cock pulse as he's about to come but she doesn't let him. Instead she puts her hands in his hair and she presses down into his grip. His hips buck up against her and then shudder before they go still as he comes hard. He sucks in a shaky breath as he feels wetness spread over his groin and his bones turn to liquid.

Beth collapses on top of him with a dreamy sigh and he winces, shifting his hips to lessen the pressure on his spent cock. His arms wrap around her waist, caging her in with his muscles and holding her close as he presses his mouth against her shoulder. His eyes flutter closed as he feels waves of pleasure ripple through his orgasm-slack body.

"That was gentle, huh?" he murmurs against her throat, taking a deep breath, enjoying the way that his expanding chest presses them even closer.

He feels her smile against his neck.

" _Sorry_ ," she laughs and he feels her breath across his skin, sending a shiver down his spine.

"Girl, you can be as rough as you like," he says, his hands gliding up and down her back absently, just enjoying the feel of her warm body covering his.

She tilts her head back and disarms him with a smile. Her eyes are hazy and half lidded as her hair hangs wildly around her face, framing her flushed cheeks.

"Maybe next time. If you get a rubber," she says, her eyes sharpening as they catch his.

Fuck. He's going on a run tomorrow.

"You want the shirt back?" she asks, biting her lip, her eyes suddenly huge in her flushed face.

He's distracted for a split second at the idea of Beth taking the shirt off and the thought of seeing what's underneath it makes his spent cock twitch. But if she leaves the shirt she won't be here and that makes his chest ache. His arms on her back still. She wants to go. She's probably itching to get back to her own bed.

Except that she's not.

She's looking at him and she's asking a question but she's also telling him something. This time he looks deeper than what she says out loud, and he doesn't miss the way that her lip catches in her teeth, betraying her nervousness. She's asking if _he_ wants her to go.

His arms tighten around her back, crushing her against him. She lets out of a little squeak of surprise.

"Nah," he says, his voice low with promise as his eyes burn into hers, "I want the real thing."

Beth blinks slowly back at him as a shy smile starts to make its way across her face. He leans forward and kisses her, before dragging the blanket over them both as they curl around each other and fall asleep in a tangle of limbs.


	4. Chapter 4

Never in all his life has Daryl slept as well as he does with Beth in his bed with him.

He falls into such an uncharacteristically deep sleep that Beth struggles to extract herself from his arms when Judith cries and it's only when she whispers his name urgently that he releases his hold around her just enough for her to slip out.

He's not happy about her having to leave and makes a mental note to talk to Rick about giving Beth a break. That might come across as weird though, for _him_ to say something. Especially after this morning when Rick noticed the book Beth left in his cell, and he didn't seem satisfied when Daryl shrugged by way of explanation. Maybe he'll ask Beth to talk to him herself, but he can imagine the scandalized look on her face already. Maybe there's a way he can tempt her into having an uninterrupted night together, he's sure he can think of something.

They've slept together every night since she fell asleep in his bed almost a week ago. It's actually surprisingly easy to do without anyone noticing, given their cells are right next to one another. He's in no mind to advertise what they have, he doesn't think that people would understand, but he wouldn't be prepared to give it up either.

They sleep together but they haven't _slept together_ in the way that he would usually understand that to mean. There's been a lot of _just kissing_ which does not in any way come close to what he thought he understood kissing to be.

Kissing Beth Greene is a damn near out of bod experience. The girl is possessed; he feels her heat across his entire body. She kisses him with a frenzied urgency as though they might not get another chance. Which he supposes they might not and that thought sinks in like a lead balloon.

He hears the curtain to his cell rustle in the half light and then the blanket moves and Beth's soft pliable body presses against his chest once more. His chest aches as he wraps his arms around her and crushes her to him, feeling skin that's been cooled by the night air under the blasting heat of his arms. He wants her so much. Not just to kiss her or to fuck her, _and God does he want to fuck her_ , but more than anything he wants _this_. He wants to wrap himself around her until their breaths come in unison and just hold her.

She wiggles back into his arms with a little contented sigh. Her ass brushes the front of his boxers and his cock jumps, already half hard, eliciting a grunt from the back of his throat. His hips press forward, rubbing his semi lazily between her cheeks through layers of thin cotton. He knows she feels his hard cock pressing into her ass and he knows that she likes it. She likes knowing what she does to him, the effect she has on him, how much he wants her. He doesn't expect her to do anything about it though, and he that knows she knows that too.

He buries his face in her neck and inhales deeply, taking a lungful of her scent and flooding himself with her. He can smell himself on her skin too and that sends a wave of heat rolling down his spine and rips a low growl from the back of his throat. She's in _his bed_ and _his scent_ is all over her body. Daryl's mouth opens and closes over her neck, biting down gently until he feels her skin against his teeth and a hum vibrate in her throat. As his tongue darts out to lick the skin caught between his teeth and his hips rock forward, grinding his now straining cock against her ass, a dangerous thought creeps in and takes root in his chest. _Mine._

Beth moans softly, pillowing her head on his bicep and arching back to meet the rock of his hips.

"You get that rubber yet?" she whispers, her voice coming out low and thick and he feels every word as if she had her lips pressed against his cock.

"Goin' on a run today," he murmurs into her neck as he mouths his way down her throat.

"Good, 'cause I want you," she breathes, tilting her head to face him. He looks down at her through his hair as she looks up at him through her lashes and when their eyes meet he thinks his heart stops in his chest. He blinks and swallows, breathing in until his chest aches.

"Beth, you have me," he says roughly and he hopes his voice doesn't shake as his heart suddenly starts beating too fast and he can hear it pounding in his ears.

Not _girl:_ Beth.

She holds his gaze and her eyes threaten to set him aflame with a simmering heat that burns from the inside out.

"Show me," she says softly, a pleading lilt in her voice as her hand comes to rest over his and guides it downwards. She drags his hand down her body, bringing his palm to rest between her thighs.

He cups her mound with an experimental squeeze and they moan in unison. His tongue darts out to wet his lips as his mouth goes dry. His thick fingers gingerly trace her lips through the thin cotton of her panties and as he presses down into her centre his fingers glide in her wetness.

" _Christ,_ " he groans, letting his head fall forward to rest against her shoulder as a violent tremor of arousal rages through his body.

Her hand tightens over his and she rocks her hips, thrusting up into his hot palm. She moans softly at the gentle friction provided by his fingers as they curl into her wet heat.

" _Daryl_ ," she pants softly, sending a warm stream of air across his temple.

He grunts as she grinds her round ass back onto his straining cock, giving him a little sweet relief. Her breaths get shorter and shorter as she rocks back and forth between the blasting heat of his cock and the press of his palm on her clit.

He turns his head and covers her mouth with his, swallowing her high pitched moan as he strokes her pulsing lips through her panties. He returns her moan with a growl as he feels her pussy walls tremor against his fingertips.

They both freeze as the sound of a throat being cleared fills the cell. Their mouths part with a gasp, eyes swinging up in the direction of the intruding noise.

Rick's pale blue gaze stares back at them from where he stands frozen at the threshold of Daryl's cell. He lets the privacy curtain fall behind him and it's the only sound in the room, rustling sharply in the silence. The air hangs heavily between them as nobody breathes.


	5. Chapter 5

Daryl feels Beth's body go stiff as a board, flattening herself against his chest. He instinctively pulls his hand from the crux of her thighs and spreads it across her abdomen, holding her to him; steadying her, and himself. Her hand grips his forearm tightly, digging little crescent moons into his skin and he's close enough that he can feel her rabbiting heart drumming in her chest like a bird.

Daryl's stomach tightens as adrenaline begins to rage through his body. If it was _anyone else_ he would have lunged across the room already, propelled into a rage by feeling exposed and the instinctive need to protect Beth. But this is Rick, this is his _brother_. He'd follow him anywhere.

He trusts him with his life; with their lives. Instead of rage he feels _mortified_. For himself and for Beth. Their bodies are hidden under a blanket but from the look on Rick's face the threadbare prison issue wool leaves little to the imagination and he has a good idea what they were doing.

For a moment they just stare at Rick, frozen and clutching at each other as he stares back at them, his eyes widening as he takes in their tangled bodies. Then he blinks slowly, pressing his lips together and swallowing hard with an audible click.

"Beth, sweetheart, could you check on Judith for me?" Rick asks with a gentle smile, giving Beth a cursory glance before locking eyes with Daryl.

They're close enough that Daryl feels Beth squirm with uncertainty in his grasp. He feels her questioning gaze fall on the side of his face as she turns and looks at him. He meets her eyes with a slight nod, placing a reassuring hand on her back as she twists into a sitting position.

Beth holds his gaze like she wants to say something, her eyes bright and huge against her flushed face, but thinks better of it and echoes his nod before standing and crossing the room.

As Beth passes Rick she fixes him with a look that could cut glass. Daryl watches Rick's eyes widen as Beth jerks her chin at him in a way that Daryl registers as vaguely threatening and somewhat familiar.

Rick studies the floor for a moment, brow furrowed as though he's thinking carefully about what he's going to say. Daryl takes the opportunity to grab his jeans off the floor, biting his lip as he tucks his hard on to the side and fastens his belt.

He stays sitting on the bed, letting his head hang heavily between his shoulders. He has a good idea of how this is going to go. _It's best just to get it over with_ he tells himself, his stomach rolling over.

"You know, if you were anyone else I'd break your neck right now," Rick says, turning to face Daryl, his expression tight.

 _I'd like to see you try, pretty boy._

Daryl's mouth twists into a scowl, anger flaring in his gut. That stings. But he knows he wouldn't be any different if the roles were reversed. Although he doesn't care to entertain that thought too closely.

His anger stills. _If you were anyone else_. What's that supposed to mean?

"Girl knows what she wants," he grunts, looking up and meeting Rick's eyes. Rick nods, his expression carefully neutral.

"Beth means a lot to a lot of people here. She's someone special." He says slowly, his voice rough and low.

"I know how special she is," Daryl says quietly.

Rick blinks at him.

"Are you being careful?" Rick asks, expression still blank.

Daryl's gaze drops to the floor. He grinds his teeth down to the enamel in an effort not to cross the room and beat Rick's ass into the ground.

Rick steps towards him, narrowing his eyes. "Are you? Because if she gets pregnant-"

"It's not like that," Daryl snaps and Rick falls silent.

Rick blinks at him, frowning. "What's it like then?"

Daryl sighs. He doesn't answer. Even if he wanted to he doesn't know how to describe what being with Beth is like. It's not _like_ anything; it's unparalleled.

"Daryl, you're my brother, but if you hurt her-"

Daryl growls low in the back of his throat, cutting Rick off with a glare.

Rick stares at him without blinking or saying anything for a long moment. Daryl holds his gaze, refusing to back down, and then Rick's expression softens.

" _Huh_. Maybe she's not the one I need to worry about," he murmurs, cocking his head to the side.

Daryl lets out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding, feeling relief spread through his chest when he catches the look of bemusement on Rick's face.

"Maybe not," he mutters, shrugging one shoulder and pushing himself off the bed.

He feels slightly shaky as he grabs his boots, the adrenaline leaving his system. He's glad that this didn't play out the way he thought it would; with his fist connecting with Rick's jaw. He's glad it didn't play out that way but he'd fight any asshole in this prison who has the mind to stand between him and his girl.

...

Daryl spends his days now waiting until he can climb into his bed and lie waiting for Beth to climb into it with him. Today he feels particularly impatient for the day to end and finds himself willing the sun to set. He's tense and he's been tense since Rick's unwelcome intrusion at the crack of dawn.

All he wants is to be back with Beth and finish what they started. But even that thought sends a spike of anxiety creeping down his spine. It feels as though the bubble he and Beth have been curled up in for a week has been burst.

He doesn't think Rick is going to tell anyone what he saw. For some reason he knows he won't. Whatever concerns he has he wouldn't do that to them. The minute the sun kisses the sky line Daryl heads into the cell block.

He feels a warmth spread in his chest when he sees the candle glow coming from Beth's cell. He keeps expecting that ache in his chest to fade, but if anything the ache intensifies knowing that she is waiting for him and for all the known and unknown pleasures he finds with her.

When he reaches her cell Daryl finds Beth sat leaning against their adjoining wall with her nose buried in a new paperback. She's too engrossed in the pages to notice his presence in the door way.

He tosses a packet of condoms onto her bed and when the box lands beside her that grabs her attention. Her eyes fall to the small packet and then widen when she realises what she's looking at. Her gaze swings up to meet his, eyes glowing with excitement.

"That some sort of come on, Mr. Dixon?" Beth asks, her lips quirking into a wry smile as she puts the paperback down on the bed.

Daryl smirks, leaning against the door jamb, "you want it to be?"

Beth's eyes brighten and she grins, "I wouldn't mind."

Daryl feels his stomach flutter in excitement as his eyes lock with hers. His tongue darts out to run across his bottom lip and he watches as her eyes drop and follow the motion.

"Rick gave me The Talk earlier," she says, mouth twisting.

Daryl scowls, his blood already up with arousal and now threatening to boil over with anger.

"The fuck he say to you?" he asks roughly, practically snarls, clenching his jaw hard. Brother or not, he might end the day knocking Rick out.

Beth's eyes flare a little, visibly startled, but she recovers with a smile and tilts her head to one side.

"He said if I hurt you I'll have him to answer to," she says softly.

 _The fuck?_ Daryl's face twists with confusion, only made worse by the way that Beth's eyes soften as she watches him thoughtfully.

"And he's taken Judith in with him tonight," she says, a wicked smile spreading across her face, her eyes flickering.

Daryl's breath leaves him in a rush. _Hold up_. They have condoms and a potentially uninterrupted d night. He can _finally_ fuck her. Except that's not what he wants to do. He does, of course he does. His dick is already straining uncomfortably against his zipper at the sight of her. But more than anything he wants to finish what they started this morning.

He wants to slide his fingers under her panties and into her wet heat, eliciting moans that he will absorb with his mouth. He wants to put his head between her legs and lick his tongue inside her, learn what she tastes like _there_. Then he'll fuck her slow and deep until she comes around his dick. That is if he doesn't come in his jeans just thinking about it.

His thoughts are interrupted by a fast movement in his periphery and he almost lifts his bow when Glenn's face comes into focus.

He looks sweaty and his hair is dishevelled as he comes to a halt in front of Daryl, rocking back and forth on his feet. Daryl doesn't miss the way that his clothes are disarrayed as though he's just thrown them on.

"Daryl," he says sounding relieved, "Oh, hey Beth," he smiles when his eyes drift into her cell for a moment before swinging back to Daryl.

"Um, have you got those condoms you picked up on the run today?" he whispers, leaning in closer.

Daryl blinks, his face carefully neutral.

"I saw you pick them up at the pharmacy but they're not with the other stuff and I need them uh _now_ ," Glenn says in a rush.

Daryl shrugs one shoulder, looking away but deliberately not looking at Beth who he can feel watching the exchange with rapt interest. "I ain't seem 'em."

"Really? _Shit,"_ Glenn says sounding disappointed. He lets out a defeated sigh before turning to go. Then he stops.

"Wait... is that them?" he asks, eyes narrowing at the packet of condoms lying on Beth's bed.

Beth offers a weak smile. Daryl grimaces and looks away.

Glenn grins at Beth, "You and Zach huh?"

The growl that Daryl makes is low and causes Beth and Glenn to look up at him in surprise. His cheeks feel like they're burning red.

Glenn raises his eyebrows in a silent question.

"It's none of your damn business," Daryl hisses, suddenly and defensively, narrowing his eyes through his overgrown hair.

Glenn's eyebrows raise even higher at that before his eyes flick over to Beth.

"Well, whatever. Can I have one, please?" he asks, fixing her with a pleading look.

Beth sighs, opening the packet and fishing out a condom which she throws up to Glenn. Glenn catches it in both hands with a grin.

"Beth!" Daryl glares at her.

Glenn's eyes swing back to Daryl and narrow, before they ping pong back and forth between Daryl's scowl and Beth's small apologetic smile.

Glenn's mouth opens and then closes then Daryl watches the realisation dawn on his face as slowly and surely as a sunrise.

Glenn's eyes grow wide and his mouth falls open, "How long have you two-"

"Beat it," Daryl barks, jerking his chin into the cell block.

Glenn huffs a laugh and then smiles at Beth.

"Thanks," he says, holding up the condom as he turns and starts walking away. Daryl scowls as he catches Glenn glance back and shake his head.

Daryl watches him walk away until he disappears into the darkness and Daryl is left scowling into quiet of the cell block.

"Daryl."

He turns to find Beth smiling up at him. She gently pats the bed in front of her.

His mouth twists, shrugging off his crossbow which he sets against the wall by the door. He pulls the privacy curtain from half way to fully closed and then lowers himself slowly onto her cot. His eyes dart around the room restlessly, feeling tense.

Daryl feels a warm hand on his cheek and his eyes fall closed as Beth brings her lips to his, chasing the tension from his body.


	6. Chapter 6

As Beth licks her tongue into Daryl's mouth all of the tension in his jaw and shoulders from a day spent scowling slowly migrates down between his legs. He shifts where he's sitting as his dick starts to strain against his zipper and he feels Beth's lips curl into a smile against his. Daryl hisses as Beth's fingers gently trace the outline of his cock through his jeans.

"I wanna feel you inside me," Beth whispers into his mouth. He hears her breath catch as his dick jumps under her palm.

"Girl, you ain't gonna feel it for long," he groans, pressing their foreheads together. He feels her smile against the corner of his mouth.

"I don't care, it'll be amazin' 'cause it's you," she whispers before kissing him again.

An ache flares in his chest. He doesn't think he's ever felt so _wanted_. He knows he hasn't and it jars him to the core.

"I'm already wet just thinkin' about it," she pants when they part for air.

A shudder of arousal rolls through his body, punching the air from his lungs.

" _Christ_. What are you tryin' to do to me?" he growls, before mouthing his way down her throat.

Beth wraps her arms around his neck and leans back slowly onto the bed, bringing him down with her so that they're lying side by side. He feels another shudder of arousal rip through him as she presses her chest flush against his. He can feel the peaks of her nipples through the fabric of their clothes.

Beth reaches between them to undo her belt, quickly shoving her jeans down and kicking them off along with her boots while he slowly places open mouthed kisses across her shoulder.

When he feels her hand tug on the strap of his belt his hand comes down to cover hers. She stills, tilting her head back to look at him. When his eyes meet hers she doesn't look irritated, like he expects, instead her gaze is searching and laced with concern. He swallows but doesn't tear his eyes away even though every moment he spends looking at her its getting harder to breathe. He feels his cheeks flush with embarrassment.

Then Beth smiles and kisses him. He sighs as she slides her tongue into his mouth, moaning softly at his taste.

"What is it?" she whispers, exhaling unsteadily, her breath releasing into his mouth.

He hesitates for a moment, breathing heavily as he tries to think of what to say, pushing down the knee jerk reaction to shrug and say _"I'unno"._ Because he does know.

"I wanna touch you," he murmurs, his cheeks flushed, arousal burning hot in his chest. "Like I was this mornin',"

He wants to touch her so much he thinks he might die if she won't let him. He's been thinking about her all day; imagining the different textures and smells that lie between her legs.

"God, _please_ ," Beth gasps, giving his hand a firm tug downwards before kissing him again like she can't bear not to.

Daryl's thick fingers push under the hem of her panties and into her soft curls. Arousal sparks down Daryl's spine and he lets out a desperate sound as his fingertips slide between her lips and he feels her wetness. Beth lets out a moan and catches her lower lip in her teeth.

Daryl looks up at her with wild wanting eyes, "Is this ok?" he asks stroking the pad of his index finger along her slit. He's breathing hard, a rumble caught in his throat, biting the inside of his lip nervously.

Beth nods and swallows. "Yeah," she whispers, breathing unsteadily and Daryl doesn't miss how affected she seemingly is. He's starting to feel a little out of control himself as he slides one finger inside her soaking wet pussy with ease. He curls his finger up immediately, pressing against her soft pussy walls as they clench around him.

"So good, Daryl... _so good,"_ Beth moans, tilting her head back. Her voice is strained and it sends ricochets of arousal down Daryl's spine. She presses her thigh against his clothed cock and he arches his hips forward, desperately chasing the pressure.

He ruts against her thigh as his thumb finds her clit and he dips his finger in and out of her entrance. Beth licks and moans along his jaw with increasing desperation. Her moans spur him on and soon he adds a second finger, circling her clit with the rough pad of his thumb.

Suddenly she puts her hands in his hair and leans her forehead against his.

"I'm gonna come," she gasps and then kisses him fiercely as her body spasms and arches into his touch.

Daryl feels the moment her pussy walls shudder and clench around his thick fingers as her orgasm washes over her. He inhales deeply as he imagines what her walls will feel like shuddering and clenching around his aching cock.

Beth whines when he slides his fingers out of her pussy, watches him raise them up to his mouth and gasps when pushes them past his lips. He sucks on the tips of his fingers and moans lowly as her sweet taste fills his mouth and wipes out all rational thought. His eyes flutter closed as he tongues his fingers, rolling her taste around in his mouth for a moment. When he opens them Beth is staring at him almost in awe, her body slack and sated from her orgasm but her eyes burning brighter than ever.

Daryl rolls onto his back, hastily kicking off his boots and shoving his jeans down. He hisses as his erection bursts free and cool air hits his blasting hot skin of his aching cock. He can feel Beth's eyes burning into the side of his face as he grabs the packet of condoms, pulls one out, grimacing when he sees only one left in the packet.

He reaches down to fist his cock, exhaling in a rush at the welcome pressure as he rips the packet open with his teeth.

Beth's hand comes to rest across his and his eyes fly up to meet hers, drowning in panic.

"Let me do it," she whispers.

Daryl's tongue darts out to wet his lips as he pulls his hand from his cock. Beth's hand flutters up and plucks the condom from between his teeth. He watches with rapt fascination as she rolls the slick latex down the length of his cock, causing him to shudder under her feather light touch.

Before he's caught his breath, Beth crawls on top of Daryl, sitting on his thighs, and cradles his face in both hands so Daryl can't look away.

" _Beth_ ," Daryl whispers as his eyes meet hers, his body trembling with anticipation and raw need.

"You make me feel safe," Beth murmurs, smiling when Daryl's breath hitches and he lets out a soft moan, hands splaying out on Beth's thighs. She strokes Daryl's hair away from his face, threading one hand into his unruly hair and resting the other gently on his chest. She's so close he wonders if she can feel his heart hammering against the back of his ribs.

Beth rolls her hips and gasps, biting her lower lip when Daryl's cockhead catches on her hole and starts to press inside.

Daryl's eyes go wide and he grabs Beth's waist. "Fuck, _Beth_ -."

" _Daryl_ ," Beth gasps, leaning down to gently bite Daryl's lower lip and pull it out, earning a rough, needy sound from him. The action makes Daryl sink deeper inside of her and she moans softly, eyes falling closed at the feeling of Daryl's cock filling her up. She's so tight, but she's soaking wet and she takes Daryl until her thighs rest against his hips.

"Wanna make you feel good, Daryl," she whispers.

" _Christ_ ," Daryl hisses, his hands splaying out and helping Beth move on top of him. She moans again, breathing hard, and kisses him desperately, tugging at his hair.

"Beth, _fuck,"_ Daryl moans into her mouth, his voicewrecked as Beth starts a rhythm on top of him, slow but even rocks of her hips pushing him deeper into her and then back out. He feels himself coming apart underneath her each time his cock disappears into her tight wet heat.

"This is so much better than I imagined," she confesses, shivering at the needy growl Daryl lets out. He feels her pussy walls flutter around his cock in response. He had imagined this, yes, almost every night on the other side of the wall, but he hadn't dared to imagine Beth doing the same. He's panting loudly, his body shaking finely under Beth as she moves.

" _Beth_ ," he says her name like he's crying out for God, sliding his hands from her waist down to her hips.

Daryl tilts his head back just enough so that he catches her eyes, and feels his heart stutter for several beats when he finds them heavy lidded and blown wide.

"Can we - _uhn_ \- roll over?" he asks, the words coming out as little more than a growl, and Beth nods, gasping when Daryl surges up and plants her on her back.

"You feel so good," he murmurs, sinking back into her, "Feels like you were fuckin _made for me_."

And she does. Beth's tight pussy fits him perfectly as he buries himself inside her, sliding through her wetness with just the right amount of friction to drive the air from him lungs and send hot sparks of pleasure searing across the base of his spine.

"Oh _God_ ," Beth moans, tugging on his hair, urging him deeper and harder. Daryl shivers at the intoxicating sound of her moans mixed with the sound of skin slapping against skin as he fucks into her. He bites his lower lip, and leans down to kiss her again.

"Come in me, Daryl," she whispers desperately. Beth's breathing is getting shaky, her hands tightening where they've fallen to grip his broad shoulders. "Please. Wanna feel it, want you to claim me. I need -"

That is, apparently, enough for Daryl. He slams deeply into her and then goes still, his grunt loud in the quiet room, and Beth's eyelids flutter as he releases hot reams of come into the condom.

He can't even feel the thin layer of latex as her pussy walls tighten, milking every drop as she comes around his cock, dragging her fingernails down his shoulders hard enough to leave red lines.

He wants her to. He wants her to mark him up and make him _hers_. He wants to feel the sting on his skin tomorrow as his flesh heals and be reminded of this moment.

Daryl thrusts into her one more time, fighting the tight spasms of her pussy around his oversensitive cock. He collapses, letting his weight rest on Beth as he cups her face and kisses her deeply. They both breathe heavily, gasping into each other's mouths for a moment until Daryl pulls back and rests their foreheads together.

"Was that ok?" he murmurs, searching her face. Her pupils yawn back at him in the middle of her flushed face and her swollen lips are parted as she tries to catch her breath.

Before she says anything she smiles and leans up for a kiss.

"That was good," she says, her voice coming out rough, "Really good."

She clears her throat and something inside him stirs knowing that he did that to her voice.

"How long until we can do it again?" Beth grins, catching her bottom lip between her teeth in a way that makes him want to fuck her all over again.

Daryl lets out a shaky laugh and kisses her. He gasps as Beth's hands tighten in his hair and drags him down, making the kiss deeper and more passionate.

...

Daryl wakes the next morning with Beth's scent in his lungs and the warm weight of her body at his front.

She's naked except for a thin camisole and his large palm absently strokes the smooth skin of her exposed thigh. He buries his face in her throat inhaling deeply and nuzzling her jaw. He could get used to waking up like this.

Beth hums sleepily and wiggles back against him, her rounded ass rubbing against his cock through the thin fabric of his boxers. He pushes his hips forwards, seeking the heat of her body and starts to mouth at her neck. She moans softly as his stubble tickles are soft skin and rocks back to meet him until his dick is twitching.

"We still have that rubber left," she says, twisting her head around to cover his mouth with hers.

"Girl, since you're just givin' 'em away we best save it," he murmurs, rolling her onto her back and pushing her knees apart.

Beth gasps as Daryl leans down and his mouth closes over her clit.

Pale blue eyes dart up to hers ."This ok?" he asks, voice impossibly low and impossibly rough, his hot breath streaming down her slit.

"God _yes_ ," Beth breathes, pulling herself up on her elbows in an effort to watch him, eyes wide and enraptured.

"Might not be any good," he says, rubbing his rough cheek against the sensitive skin of her inner thigh, "Never done it before."

He's so close that he feels Beth's pussy clench just a breath away from his mouth. His eyes swing down to see her clit throbbing in front of his eyes, her slit leaking with the evidence of her arousal.

He swallows, tasting her scent in his mouth.

"Daryl, please," Beth whines, her hips rocking forward, nudging his chin lightly with her swollen lips.

Daryl's tongue darts out to lick along her slit experimentally, dipping between her folds to lap up her wetness. They both moan in unison, the vibration of Daryl's lips making Beth's hips rock forward, pressing her lips against his. He opens his mouth and strokes his tongue deep inside her slit. She trembles against his mouth and her head falls back with a low moan.

Daryl is already half way to undone as he buries his face in Beth's pussy with her walls trembling under his tongue and the scent of her wetness flooding his senses, so he barely registers the voices coming from outside Beth's cell.

"Maggie! Err, if you're looking for Beth, she just went to take a shower, so..."

"Get out of my way Rick, my sister might be naked but she isn't in the shower, you're a god awful liar just like my husband!"

Daryl freezes. Panic trickling down his spine as he starts to become aware of his surroundings but it's too late.

"I'm coming in, I hope you're decent," he hears Maggie singsong before the sound of Beth's privacy curtain being abruptly drawn to the side.

"Maggie!" Beth shouts, her voice muffled as her thighs clamping shut around his head.

"Good God, I did not need to see that," Maggie says, sounding pained.

He can't breathe with his face buried in Beth's pussy, and has to firmly push her knees apart in order to extract himself with as much grace as possible. His face is burning when Beth swings her nimble legs over his shoulder and off the bed, wrapping the blanket around her as she stands.

"Maybe you should knock then!" Beth snaps, glaring across the cell at her sister.

Maggie's eyes swing to Daryl as he pushes himself off the bed and hastily pulls his jeans up while stepping into his boots.

"Well, at least I know you ain't bein' selfish, Dixon," Maggie smirks, leaning a hand on her hip as she watches him fasten his belt.

He looks up at her through his hair, cheeks burning red with shame.

 _No_. Not shame. Embarrassment maybe, for being caught chin deep in Beth's cunt but not shame. He hasn't done anything _wrong_. He tilts his head back to meet her gaze, jaw tight. He feels about ready to crawl out of his skin but he stands his ground.

Maggie grins and crosses her arms. Is she actually _enjoying_ this?

"So, Daryl," She narrows her eyes at him, "When did you deflower my baby sister?"

Daryl's breath leaves him in a rush and he shoots Beth a look of pure terror.

"Oh, please," Beth rolls her eyes at him, looking vaguely irritated and then turns back to Maggie, "Are you done?"

The tightness in his chest starts to dissolve when Maggie grins. Then he scowls. Was that supposed to be a fucking _joke_?

Maggie swings her eyes back to him and she stares at him for a long moment, long enough for Daryl to start feeling _even more_ uncomfortable, if that's possible.

Then she smiles and he sees a quickness in her eyes that reminds him of Beth.

"Are you bein' safe?" Maggie asks, cocking her head to the side, "If you knock her up my daddy will make you marry her, end of the world or not."

Daryl's mouth falls open but no words come out as he tries to process what she just said.

"Alright, enough," Beth steps forward, "You're done. Goodbye." She says, grabbing her sister by the arm and pushing her out of the door.


	7. Chapter 7

Daryl's bow weighs heavy on his shoulder as he enters the cell block. The moonlight is surprisingly bright, falling in rectangles across the cold concrete floor and guiding him to the metal staircase.

He's just finished his shift on watch and his eyelids feel hot and heavy, begging to close as he begins his ascent to the landing.

Beth had offered to come and keep him company in the watchtower, but if her wicked smile was anything to go by she wasn't planning on reading him poetry.

There's no way he'd be able to keep his eyes, or his hands, off her long enough to actually keep watch so he asked her not to.

He knows Maggie and Glenn are always doing it like rabbits up there but if something were to happen 'cause he was getting his dick wet he couldn't live with himself.

Besides, enough people have walked in on him and Beth when they're together without them hooking up in public.

His mind drifts back to this morning when he had his head nestled between her thighs and a fresh wave of mortification hits him as he recalls Maggie barging in at that precise moment.

Funny thing was Maggie hadn't been mad though. He wasn't expecting that. She'd given him hell but in her own way she'd given her blessing as well.

She'd even joked about Hershel making him marry Beth as though he would need any coaxing at all.

Their morning had been disturbed but their night had been completely uninterrupted. He hasn't been able to stop thinking about their night together all day.

He doesn't want to ever stop thinking about it. It was the first time they'd had sex and in a lot of ways it felt like it was his first time too because he'd never experienced anything like it.

It was like an awakening; he didn't know pleasure could run so deep but last night he felt his orgasm pulse through every fibre of his being.

He'd felt the heat raging in his blood from his scalp down to the balls of his feet. More than that his soul had felt soothed.

It was terrifying, on one level; that one person could shake him to the core like that. Except that when he thought about it, about _her,_ he didn't feel anything like fear.

Daryl knew fear, he was used to pushing it down, rolling it up into a tight ball and bringing it back up as anger. When he thinks about Beth, not about being _with_ her, even just thinking about _her_ ; all that anxiety just melts away.

As he reaches the summit of the staircase he finds the landing dark except for a soft cast of moonlight and the soft glow of a candle. He's drawn to the light and finds himself stood outside Rick's cell.

Daryl has to fight back a smirk when he sees the shattered expression on Rick's face as he sits holding a very awake Lil Asskicker in his lap.

He gets a weird feeling of de ja vu as he shoulders the door jamb and watches Rick drag a hand across his face and through his hair.

Rick's eyes remain closed for a moment but Judith's head spins in Daryl's direction and she lets out a noise somewhere between a grunt and a squeal when she sees his face in the door way.

"Ain't you s'posed to be asleep, sweetheart?" Daryl says, the corner of his mouth tugging up into a smile as Judith waves her arms up and down in excitement.

Rick's eyes fly up to his and he looks startled for a split second before he offers a weak smile.

"I was but Judith woke me up."

Daryl huffs a laugh and rolls his eyes as Rick pushes up off the bed. He seems to find energy from somewhere as he balances Judith on his hip and crosses the cell to stand in front of Daryl. Judith reaches for him and Daryl lifts his hand to meet hers. Both men watch as Judith wraps her chubby pink fingers around Daryl's gnawed thumb.

"How's it goin'?" Rick asks as Judith shakes Daryl's thumb up and down.

Daryl doesn't need to meet Rick's piercing blue gaze to know what he's really asking. He continues to watch Judith tug at his thumb as he rolls a shoulder with a mumbled _I'unno._

There's a beat and then his eyes do fly up to meet Rick's and watch him press his lips into a tight line.

" _Where's_ it goin'?" He asks.

Daryl sighs.

"Fuck if I know," He says honestly.

Rick's face splits into a grin and he nods. Daryl taps a thick finger on Judith's nose and the baby laughs then turns her face into her daddy's chest with a promising yawn. When Daryl's eyes meet Rick's again he's staring back at him thoughtfully. He can damn near hear the cogs turning.

"What?" He grunts.

Rick's mouth twitches and he cocks his head to the side.

"If you want it to go somewhere, which I think that you do," Rick says, his voice low and rough and thick with his Georgia accent, "I think that Beth wants this to go somewhere too. She's been talkin' about you all evenin' and no offense but you're not all that interestin'." Rick smiles and there's genuine warmth in his eyes.

Daryl swallows, staring back at Rick, his eyes narrowing as he hears the words but doesn't understand them at all. The idea that Beth would be talking about him _all evenin'_ makes his chest flutter. He hadn't really thought about where he wants this thing with Beth to go, the only thing he's really clear on is that he doesn't want it to stop. He still kinda feels like pinching himself to check if it's really happening at all.

He nods, pushing himself away from the door jamb.

"Night, Daryl," Rick says, rubbing his hand down Judith's back as she watches Daryl with half lidded eyes.

"G'nite," Daryl murmurs, jerking his chin.

He passes Beth's cell but instead of sinking at the darkness inside his heart swells with excitement. There's no light because she isn't in her cell and he knows exactly where she is.

He ducks the curtain to his own cell and sets his bow down carefully at the foot of the bed. As his eyes adjust to the darkness he can just make out the familiar soft golden curls spanning his pillow and the slender lump beneath his blanket.

A grin swallows his face and a sweet ache spreads in his chest as he pulls off his boots. He hastily undresses until he's wearing only a pair of boxers and a threadbare vest.

With a silent tread and a careful touch he crosses the cell and lifts the blanket just enough to slip in behind Beth.

He gently presses his body up against hers and that is when he feels miles of smooth, hot skin touch his and realises that she is completely naked.


	8. Chapter 8

Daryl's breath comes out hot and heavy against the back of Beth's neck, his wide palm fitting across the smooth bare flesh of her mid drift. His breathing falters as his fingertips lightly nudge the curve of her naked breast. Then his whole damn respiratory system starts to malfunction when she rolls in her sleep, pressing her peaked nipple into his trembling palm.

He freezes as uncertainty crawls up his spine. She's naked _._ In his _bed._ But she's also _unconscious._ He soon finds his brain and dick in a standoff about what the hell he's supposed to do now. Can he touch her? Is it ok? She crawled into his bed naked, so does that mean she wants him to?

Daryl lies still for a moment as his hand perfectly cups her breast where it fell when he slid in behind her. He takes steady breaths in an attempt to calm his rabbiting heart. His anxiety lessens with each inhale as he breathes in lungful after lungful of her scent mixed with his under the dominating smell of her shampoo blasting from her fluffy, freshly washed hair.

He starts to enjoy the weight of her pert little breast resting in his open hand. He flexes his fingers just enough to make the hard nub of her nipple rub against his palm. He shivers at the delicate sensation and bites his lip when she lets out a soft little moan. He wonders hopefully if this feels as good to her as it does to him.

Daryl didn't know breasts were so unbelievably soft, but maybe it's just Beth's. He has no point of reference, having never felt a girl's tits before. The skin under his palm is the softest thing he's ever touched; like how he imagines silk must feel.

His tongue slips out to push the saliva back inside his mouth and he swallows, thinking how incredible her tits would feel in his mouth. Arousal cascades down his body like a waterfall, his dick suddenly rock hard and twitching in his thin boxers. He turns his head and presses his mouth against her shoulder, feeling the warmth of her skin on his lips, still cold from his night in the tower.

She stirs then, rolling her shoulder into his touch. That's the only encouragement he needs to open his mouth and suck until he can taste the soap from her skin on his tongue. She lets out a little sigh when his fingers experimentally squeeze the breast in his palm. He feels his want for her grab him by the base of the spine and roll through his body, flaring in the spaces where his skin touches hers.

Beth gasps when his thick fingers close around her nipple, teasing the nub out gently. As her nipple becomes diamond hard under his touch, so does his dick. Of their own volition his hips rock forward, blasting heat through the thin cotton of his boxer shorts as he rubs his cock between her juicy cheeks.

Beth turns her head then, her eyelids drifting open to reveal hazy blues that are colourless in the darkness and the corners of her mouth lift into a smile. He watches as her tongue darts out to wet her lips and he can't help but cover her mouth with his. She hums against his lips as his mouth opens over hers and he feels his arousal raging as his blood starts to pump too fast around his body.

She turns towards him so that she's on her back, bringing a hand up to cup his cheek, opening her mouth and deepening the kiss; opening herself to him for the taking. The pad of his thumb brushes back and forth across her nipple with the gentlest pressure and she must enjoy it because she arches her back and he feels a shiver trickle down her spine.

When he mouths his way down her jaw hungrily he can feel her breath coming out in short pants across his cheek. He kisses his way down her body with one destination in mind. She knots her hands into his hair and lets out a soft moan as his mouth closes over her peaked nipple and he sucks it into his mouth.

He presses the flat of his tongue against her tender flesh and moans low in the back of his throat as her skin pebbles underneath his wet heat. He's already halfway to undone at how impossibly soft and impossibly smooth she feels in his mouth when her knees part beneath him. He looks up and she's looking right back at him with lust blown eyes as she wraps her legs around his waist and presses him against her naked body.

He tilts his head back, running his tongue across the ghost of Beth's nipple on his lips. He takes a moment to drink her in: hair strewn across the pillow like a halo, chest rising and falling in ragged breaths, and her eyes radiating barely caged need that he is sure must be mirrored in his own.

"Where's th' rubber?" he asks, his voice wrecked with desire.

Beth's eyes widen and she reaches under the pillow behind her then holds out the little square packet between them. He leans back onto his knees, pushing his boxers down and inhaling sharply as the cool air hits his angry red cock. His eyes track Beth's little pink tongue as she wets her lips, staring in something like awe as his dick bobs in front of her face, glistening with pre cum.

He swallows, his mouth suddenly dry as he stares at her slightly parted lips and he wonders what they would feel like wrapped around his cock. There's a beat. Two. And then Beth leans forward and licks the head of his cock, licking the oozing slick from the tip. Daryl shudders violently, groaning and biting his lip as he watches Beth lean back and roll the taste of him around in her mouth.

Trembling, he reaches out and plucks the condom from her outstretched fingers. Her eyes fly up to his and burn with desire as he rips the packet open with his teeth.

Beth wiggles beneath his looming body, widening her thighs around him as he rolls the latex over his straining cock, hissing at the welcome pressure. Beth grins and wraps her arms around his neck as Daryl leans forward and kisses her. Her lips part under his mouth with a needy whine and he doesn't make her wait, guiding his cock between her thighs and stroking the head down her slit.

They moan into each other's mouths as he catches on her hole.

"Fuck, _yes_ ," Beth whispers, biting her lower lip and gasping when Daryl dips inside and lets out a shuddering breath. The sound of Beth cursing sends a shiver down his spine and makes the back of his neck feel prickly and hot. _Jesus, why is that such a turn on?_

Beth pushes herself up against Daryl's chest, chasing his mouth for a kiss as she rocks her hips and thrusts his cockhead past her entrance. They part with a gasp as hot sparks of blinding pleasure ignite between their writhing bodies.

Daryl feels a wave of white heat shoot down his spine as he matches her thrust with his own and buries himself in her tight pussy. Beth reaches back and fists a hand in Daryl's sweaty hair, groaning as her walls stretch and part around his cock, encasing him in her tight heat and punching the breath from his lungs.

"Beth, you're so good," he whispers as he leans his forehead against hers for a moment, caught between feeling too overwhelmed to move and unable to remain still.

He kisses her again, licking his tongue into her mouth and feeling her pussy walls twitch around his cock. There's a tightness in his chest as Rick's unanswered question comes to the forefront of his mind. _Where is this going?_ He doesn't know but he doesn't want it to stop. His hands slide underneath Beth, cupping her ass roughly as he fucks deep and slow into her body. He crushes her to him each time he thrusts forward, as though trying to carve a place for himself deep inside her.

"I need this... _you_ ," he moans, his breaths coming out ragged and desperate. He holds her ass in a bruising grip and sinks down into her again with an agonising slowness that makes them both tremble.

"I don't ever wanna stop feelin' like this," He confesses.

When Daryl plunges into her again he hits something so deep that Beth keens high and needy in his ear. He does it again, ripping another pleasured moan from behind her teeth that rakes down his back like a physical touch.

Beth tilts her head to the side, putting her hands in Daryl's hair and holding him still so he has no choice but to meet her eyes.

"You're _mine_ ," She says, her voice rough enough to make Daryl's eyes widen and his heart stutter for several beats. "I'm never letting you go."

The breath bowls out of him in a hot stream across her throat as his head falls into her neck. The rhythm of his pounding hips falters, becoming uneven as he feels his arousal winding into a tight coil in his stomach.

"I'm gonna come," Daryl gasps, hot an desperate, the words spilling from his lips, "You're gonna _make me_ come."

He's so close. His jaw tightens to the point of pain with the effort it takes to stop himself coming. But there's no way in hell he's finishing before she does, not before this beautiful fucking girl who calls him _hers_ comes hard enough to see stars. He mouths at her throat, knows she loves it by the way her pussy walls flutter and make him grind his teeth down to the enamel because _fuck_ if she doesn't come soon he will.

He draws back until his cockhead kisses her lips and she whimpers at the loss before he slams back into her, nailing her to the mattress with so much force he hears the bed rattle where it's chained to the wall. Beth gasps as her pussy walls clamp down around his dick and she sinks her teeth into his shoulder.

He feels her cunt squeezing his cock and his shoulder stings with pain under her mouth, and then his orgasm swallows him whole. His back arches violently as he comes hard, shaking as he goes still and sinks deep into Beth's fluttering wet pussy. He grinds hard against her, as though desperate to come inside of her so deeply that Beth's body would have no choice but to grow round with it _._

Daryl trembles, his breathing leaving in harsh gasps as he lifts his head and claims Beth's mouth. He lets go of her ass and takes her head in both hands, threading his fingers through her wild, sweaty hair and kissing her deeply despite how out of breath they both are. When they part, Daryl pulls away and collapses on his side next to Beth, breathing hard.

Beth hums and rolls onto her side, nuzzling Daryl's bicep until he wraps an arm around her shoulders, pulling her close. Her cheeks and neck are dark red from arousal and her eyes are swimming in a fucked-out haze.

Daryl rolls a shoulder and winces. " _Fuck_ , Beth, there's walkers woulda been gentler than that," Daryl mutters as he runs his fingers over the throbbing bite on his shoulder.

"Jesus, I'm sorry," Beth smiles weakly, raising her head to look at the angry red mark on Daryl's skin. Even in the moonlight it's noticeable.

"S'alright. Kinda turned me on," Daryl murmurs, rolling over so that he can cradle Beth to his chest, "You markin' me up." He strokes Beth's hair back from her face and tilts her face up. His thumb drags across her cheekbone, fingers gently brushing up her neck and under her jaw.

"Yeah?" She hums, leaning into his touch.

Daryl grunts and strokes through her hair again, his hand coming to a stop on her throat. He feels Beth's heartbeat still flying under his palm, heavy behind her ribs but calming down slowly.

"Now everyone knows you belong to someone," She says as her eyes catch his, simmering with something raw and primal that threatens to burn him from the inside out.

Daryl's mouth falls open but no words come out, so he closes it again. He swallows, pushing down the tightness that's spreading through his chest and crawling up his throat as Beth's words sink in. Never in his life has Daryl ever _belonged._ Not anywhere. Not to anyone. He doesn't know what to do with the crushing want he feels in his chest that's just on the right side of pain when he meets Beth's gaze.

He feels dizzy, overwhelmed by the unfamiliar feeling of this girl – _his_ girl, Beth is _his_ girl- needing him and wanting him. Daryl takes in a shaky breath, his arm tightening around Beth. He doesn't know how to say that he feels _honoured_ to belong to her. That she can mark up every inch of his skin if that's what it means. That he needs this in a way that he can't name.

He doesn't know how to say that so he doesn't say anything.

He pulls Beth to him and kisses her, sighing when she immediately presses him against the mattress and kisses him back, fierce and deep. One of Beth's hands flatten on his chest to hold him still and Daryl feels all the want, the ache, the pain melting away. With Beth's warmth under his hands and Beth's scent in his head Daryl feels centred, and if he didn't know any better he'd say that's what love felt like. For maybe the first time in his life he feels like he belongs. Somewhere, and to someone.


End file.
